Where is Ryan McInerney now?

When he was starting out as a McKinsey consultant more than a decade ago, Ryan McInerney worked for a client who spent millions shipping out CDs in the hopes that folks would sign up for a new Internet dial-up service meant to compete against AOL. But the CDs had a big problem: No one who opened them could find the code needed to register, and Mr. McInerney, who oversaw production, had to deliver the grim news that the money was a total waste.

"That was an expensive lesson," he remembered. "I learned that you really have to sweat the small stuff."

Today, Mr. McInerney oversees Chase's 5,400 bank branches and 17,000 ATMs from coast to coast. It's an enormous job, but it's really all about the small stuff, mainly keeping 20 million customers happy and 76,000 employees motivated. It also calls for a deft touch when problems erupt, such as when a Dallas branch decided to get rid of a donated Christmas tree last year because of bank rules against accepting gifts. After a media firestorm, Mr. McInerney decided it was best to let local employees make such a call.

A Michigan native, Mr. McInerney's star has been on the rise since he joined JPMorgan Chase in 2005. Two years ago, he was tapped to run Chase's consumer division, and within the bank, his people skills are considered so formidable that he's become one of its go-to guys for dealing with customers and consumer advocates.

There was even talk about sending him to Zuccotti Park in the fall to talk to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators. "Don't think we haven't thought of that," quipped his boss, Todd Maclin, who heads Chase's commercial and consumer banking unit. "Ryan has tremendous people skills, and he's got a very bright future at Chase."